Clutch replacement – DIY – every step explained

Published : 03 / 07 / 2019

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CWhen you notice some scratching and the motor experiencing increased revolutions that do not speed up your car, just know that your car is calling for a clutch. But look: You may not have attended an auto mechanic school to study how to replace the clutch. The good news is that you can Do It Yourself.

But you get to learn how to go about it; do you know how a clutch is crucial in your car? A clutch is a mechanical device usually located between the engine and the transmission. It helps to engage and disengage the engine from the transmission so that you can change gears.

Here is what you will require;

A jack

A screwdriver

Lubricant

New flywheel

New clutch

Step 1: Make sure your car is well positioned

Here you need to jack up your car to raise the front part. Make sure you position the car jack well below the oil pan to support the vehicle’s engine.

Step 2: Prepare transaxle for removal

To get to the clutch, you have to remove the transaxle. First, unhook the clutch cable and the positive battery to get the transaxle ready for removal.

Step 3: Unscrew the engine mount

Remove the bolt that holds engine mount. By removing one engine mount, you will get to the transaxle axle and separate it from the engine.

To well remove the transaxle, unbolt the flywheel bell housing and cautiously push the transaxle away from the car’s engine. In case the transaxle fails to budge when you push it, apply a little more force to fully expose the pressure plate.

Step 4: Detach the clutch and repair its flywheel

To remove the clutch, unbolt the pressure plate and slide the clutch disc out. If the flywheel has signs of wear, repair it or replace. But before you replace the flywheel, remove any dirt and debris from the crankshaft flange and lubricate it.

Step 5: Change the worn out clutch

Once you are done with replacing or repairing the flywheel, you can now fix your new clutch by simply sliding it in and after that replace your car’s transaxle.

Step 6: Reattach the transaxle

To do this, simply align it with the clutch disc’s spindled hole. You just need to move the car’s transaxle until its input shaft glides into the spindled hole of the clutch disc.

Once you have completed returning the transaxle to its normal position, place back the bolts you had earlier on removed. And to avoid problems, make sure that you tighten the bolts properly.

Step 7: Remove the car jack to lower the car to the ground

Up to this point, you are done with your transaxle replacement. It is about time you release the car jack. By doing so, you allow your car to resume its usual position on the ground. But before releasing the jack, you need to make sure that all the bolts are right in their respective positions.

Step 8: Test your new clutch

So to know your new or replaced clutch is fully functional or otherwise, you can drive your car a few blocks away.

Conclusion

It is good to have a fully functional clutch because your car’s transmission of power depends on it. And it is true to say that if you have a fully functional clutch, you will not experience problems when you want to change gears.